McGinley is Ryder Cup captain

Paul McGinley was beaming with pride on Tuesday after being appointed captain of Europe's Ryder Cup team for the biennial match against the United States next year.

The 46-year-old Irishman, who holed the winning putt in the 2002 match at The Belfry, was the unanimous choice of the Players Committee at a meeting in Abu Dhabi and becomes Ireland's first skipper in the history of the event launched in 1927.

Committee chairman Thomas Bjorn said five names were discussed: McGinley, 2010 captain Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sandy Lyle.